Don Pardo, Legendary NBC Announcer, Dies at at 96

Actor Don Pardo arrives at the Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences' 19th Annual Hall Of Fame Induction at the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 20, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Don Pardo, best remembered for his booming baritone as he introduced the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” died Monday at his Tucson home. He was 96.

Pardo, who started out in radio and found his place in television, was with “SNL” for almost 40 years, starting with the show’s first episode in 1975 and staying until its most recent, which ended in May. He missed only one season — its seventh, and though he retired in 2004 he continued his “SNL” introductions from his Arizona home.

He began his career with NBC in 1944 after touring the New York studio, and leaving with a job offer. Pardo’s voice was also known from multiple games shows, including “Jeopardy” and “The Price is Right.” He is survived by his five children.